With recent advances in digital transmission technology, cable television systems are now capable of providing much more than the traditional analog broadcast video. In implementing enhanced programming, the home communication terminal (“HCT”), otherwise known as the set-top box, has become an important computing device for accessing video services and navigating a subscriber through a maze of available services. In addition to supporting traditional analog broadcast video functionality, digital HCTs (or “DHCTs”) now also support an increasing number of two-way digital services such as video-on-demand.
Typically, a DHCT is connected to a cable or satellite television network and includes hardware and software necessary to provide the functionality of the digital television system at the client's site. Preferably, some of the software executed by a DHCT is downloaded and/or updated via the cable television network. Each DHCT also typically includes a processor, communication components and memory, and is connected to a television or other display device, such as a personal computer. While many conventional DHCTs are stand-alone devices that are externally connected to a television, a DHCT and/or its functionality may be integrated into a television or personal computer, as will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art.
A headend unit comprising one or more servers receives media and data from service providers via a plurality of network interfaces such as satellite, terrestrial, telephone, and the Internet. A headend unit server process receives media and data and then transmits media and data to one or more DHCTs.
Media services organizations and studio operators are concerned about pirate copies of new releases that can appear as a consequence of releasing new titles to be sold as Pay Per View or Video On Demand programs (also referred to as events or instances, typically delivered in a “session” with the head end). This is especially true in digital systems, in which the copied events are as good as the original. Encryption (in digital systems) and scrambling (in analog systems) is a method to prevent unauthorized viewing and/or listening to an event. Typically, viewers with authorized codes, which are downloaded to the set-top to decrypt or de-scramble the event signal (i.e. for paying customers), may watch and/or listen to the event. However, unauthorized copying is generally not directly addressed by this technology, just unauthorized viewing at the time of transmission.
Watermarking is another method to protect some types of content. Watermarking often includes embedding information into multimedia data to identify the owner of the intellectual property rights to the content, such as in a digital file of a watermarked photograph. Unfortunately, identifying the owner does not often deter the original copyist.
Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.